How Pilots and Instructors Use Notability for Flight Logs and Training

Precision is foundational in aviation. Every checklist item, callout, and procedural decision matters, whether pilots are flying a routine path or training in a high-pressure simulator session. Even for instructors, the ability to capture details accurately, review them clearly, and translate them into better and safer performance is critical. 

That’s why more pilots and instructors are turning to Notability as a digital companion for flight training and documentation. One that mirrors how flight staff already think, write, and debrief, while fitting seamlessly into modern aviation workflows. From pre-flight safety checks to simulator sessions and post-flight debriefs, Notability helps pilots and examiners log what matters, see patterns clearly, and train with confidence.

Note-Taking in Flight Simulator Training

For many pilots, the first and most critical learning happens on the ground inside simulator sessions designed to mirror real-world complexity. One of Notability’s aviation customers, an instructor and examiner, shares how integral the app has become during these sessions:

“My primary use of Notability was during simulator sessions. During the training or checking sessions, I have the need to take notes of what is going on in the simulator: if the procedure is not applied, any mistakes, things that were said or not said. All the notes are useful to build a decision, give an accurate debriefing, correct possible mistakes, and provide explanations on how to improve.”

Instructors need to capture observations in real time—quickly, clearly, and without distraction. With Notability, handwritten notes become a natural extension of the training process, allowing instructors to focus on the pilot, not the paperwork.

Annotating Aviation Templates for Clearer Debriefs

A strong debrief post-training is where learning solidifies. Notability supports downloadable aviation templates in our Gallery that pilots and instructors can tailor to their training needs—something our pilot customers specifically call out as a key benefit. These templates can be used to structure performance observations and improvement plans.

Notability’s downloadable aviation templates give pilots and instructors a head start. From structured flight logs to training evaluation forms, templates reduce setup time and let pilots focus on what matters: learning and performance.

By annotating these templates by hand during or immediately after a session, instructors preserve nuance about what happened, why it mattered, and how to improve next time. The result is a debrief that’s not just accurate, but meaningful.

Checklists That Mirror the Cockpit

Checklists are the backbone of aviation safety, but in training environments, they’re also teaching tools. With Notability, instructors and trainees can create and customize digital checklists for takeoff and landing, including:

• Simulator scenarios
• Emergency procedures
• Type ratings
• Recurrent trainings
• Line checks and evaluations

Pilots can annotate or handwrite custom checklists for specific aircraft types or training scenarios, noting where procedures were missed, rushed, or executed well. These handwritten insights become invaluable during debriefs, turning abstract feedback into concrete, actionable guidance.

Turning Training Documents Into Working Documents

Once the post-training debrief is completed, pilots rely heavily on standardized documentation and templates, including checklists, procedures, flight manuals, and evaluation forms. But learning doesn’t happen by passively reading, it happens by interacting. Notability turns these static PDFs into interactive working documents, allowing pilots and instructors to:

• Import training manuals and Standard Operating Procedures
• Handwrite notes directly on procedure pages
• Capture high-fidelity observations during trainings
• Circle missed steps or highlight correct callouts
• Add notes in the margin during reviews
• Mark up evaluation forms during checks

Instead of flipping between paper binders or separate notes, everything lives in one organized and searchable place, ready for review. These annotated PDFs become personalized training records, capturing both performance and progress over time.

Designed for the Flight Deck and Beyond

Once in the cockpit, pilots work in varied lighting conditions, long sessions, and high-focus environments. Notability’s features are designed to support that reality:

• Dark Mode for reduced eye strain during extended sessions and low-light environments like the cockpit.
• Natural handwriting tools that feel familiar to pilots trained on paper
• Clean organization so notes are easy to retrieve across training cycles
• Export and sharing for record-keeping, evaluations, or regulatory needs

A Smarter Way to Log, Learn, and Lead

Pilots have always relied on notebooks. Notability simply brings that trusted workflow into the cockpit, without losing what makes it effective. And when the stakes are high, the best tools are the ones that help you focus on what matters most. For training, evaluation, and flight preparation, Notability offers a familiar and reliable way to record and learn, so today’s aviation professionals can be cleared for takeoff.